


Gifts

by Genesister (papirini)



Series: Bangs and Thangs [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galaxy Garrison, M/M, Monstertron Exchange 2018, Season/Series 07 Spoilers, Were-Creatures, non-sexual nudity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 22:10:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/papirini/pseuds/Genesister
Summary: Keith receives gifts from an unexpected visitor. He tries to get to the bottom of who - or what - is leaving these dead animals on his doorstep, even as he struggles with his mother, his school, and his hero's new and unusual behavior.A Monstertron Exchange 2018 entry.





	Gifts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BattyIntentions](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BattyIntentions/gifts).



 

The first animal that showed up on his doorstep was a jackrabbit.

Keith nearly screamed when he opened the door that first morning and found it outside without warning. There was viscera spilling forth from the teeth marks, and its neck was snapped and ripped open. He almost didn’t make it to the bathroom to let out everything due to the sight. Not because he was grossed out by the sight – just that it was too early in the morning for it.

When his mother came down to ask what the problem was, Keith warily explained, causing her to bolt out of the house. Two minutes later, Krolia was coming back in, the dead thing in one hand and a scanner in the other.

“Meat’s safe. No known harmful contaminants.” With complete casualness she slammed the jackrabbit down onto a cutting board. “Get dressed for today, and then I’ll drive you in. When I get back here I’ll make this for dinner when you come home tonight.”

Keith opened his mouth to protest, but stopped and sighed instead. It was true, he and his mom were living in the middle of nowhere for…well, a variety of reasons, not in the least his mother’s appearance. As a result, food wasn’t exactly overflowing in the household. Almost all of the food they got was from hunting -- his mother was a very good hunter, even with just that blade she owned.

So, face still slightly green, Keith proceeded up the stairs.

 

* * *

 

While Krolia was a role model for him, and the one who managed to help him run away from the foster system and raise him when she returned to Earth for her mission, it was Takashi Shirogane who was Keith’s biggest hero. He was Keith’s mentor, his teacher, and really just someone he couldn’t help but look up to, having overcome physical disability to go to the ends of the solar system. His mom remarked that if not for that man, Keith probably wouldn’t have ever gotten into the Garrison, much less been inspired to get out of the dead-end of a life Keith was headed towards due to their unique circumstances – or rather, Krolia’s, as going out and getting a job was out of the question.

On the other hand, she also kept pointing out that, for the same reason, being at the Garrison was dangerous for him, and their shack’s location was, for her, too close for comfort. What if they found out about her, she would say, and thus about his true heritage? It didn’t matter to her that the Garrison gave Keith a stipend for a few new sets of clothes, and comp for gas in the battered car and motorcycle that otherwise wouldn’t run. They were nice things, and they always _just_ had enough for the heavy makeup Krolia used to cover her skin every time she drove (which was, well, every time they got in the car), but Keith only had them because everyone assumed he was an orphan and living alone, and it didn't always cover groceries. Moreover, she made it painfully clear that the closer Keith got to his dream, the more that scrutiny would fall on him, and the riskier life would become. 

“But,” Krolia would mumble, “I know you’ll ignore that, because you like that so-called golden boy. Even after that Kerberos mission, which could have ruined things for us…for Earth…”

Indeed, Keith couldn’t help it. He couldn’t help the way he felt – how his eyes sparkled when he spoke of the man, or how he went red in the face every time he was greeted by his hero. Risking his secret heritage somehow felt worth it every time Takashi Shirogane was around. Besides, space travel was in his blood. Why wouldn’t he be inspired to try for flying there? The captain’s presence was really just an extra incentive to stay and try for it – and a very kind and handsome one at that.

As it was, he felt himself flush slightly as he saw the legendary captain – or, as he liked to be called by intimates, Shiro – come over to his table during lunch. He quickly looked down as Shiro sat next to several cadets at the other end of the table, who were talking about a hunting expedition they were going to take over the weekend.

He wasn’t going with them, of course. He had his secret to keep.

“At ease, cadets.” Shiro looked over to one of the talking cadets, who instantly and nevertheless straightened their back upon being looked at. “So, Dixie National, huh? Going deer hunting?”

“Yeah!” the cadet gasped. “How did you know, captain? Have you gone deer hunting there?”

“Aha, yeah, once or twice after I recovered from my flight.” Shiro smiled just as Keith looked fully over at him from the corner of his eyes. He felt his face flush further. “Managed to bag a deer or two. It was hard, though, getting used to doing that kind of stuff again.”

“…Yeah, uh…” The cadet looked down. “I bet…”

It was only natural that everyone knew what that referred to. It was all about the near-death experience that had happened on Kerberos. The meteor shower, the exploding ice shards that had ripped through the captain’s spacesuit and took his arm. That, combined with his known genetic physical ailment, nearly killed him. When Keith heard of what had happened, he was devastated, frightened of seeing him die so far away from home – and from him. He was almost inconsolable, and nearly dropped out of the Garrison then and there. It was only remembering his promise to Shiro to never give up on himself that ultimately caused Keith to reconsider.

He apparently didn’t need to worry. The desperate several-month struggles to get him back home without dying from blood loss, infection or worse was a worldwide event, as everyone shared similar, if more muted, emotions with Keith. First, the world watched with worry, then triumph, as the ship returned with all three crew members accounted for. Shiro was a hero just for coming home after all of that. Still, no one, least of all Keith, doubted that he was irrevocably altered from the experience.

Simply seeing Shiro the second he came back to Earth made Keith gasp at just how much he had been altered. He had a massive scar over his nose, and his body was pale from the method the Holts used to keep him alive. Yes, forcing him into the lander after they improvised a sterile area for him without any germs or radiation for months had saved him, but at the cost of more severe deficiencies that would leave him bedridden for many months more on touchdown. There was void where his right arm had been, he’d lost weight, and an entire chunk of hair had gone white as snow.

Worst of all, Keith knew that had only been the physical changes – he couldn’t imagine what was going through Shiro’s head after such an ordeal, especially one that pretty much guaranteed he would never fly again in space.  Even fitted with a prosthetic, the Garrison didn’t put physically disabled astronauts into space – as far as they were concerned, space travel was risky enough with healthy, full-bodied candidates. Allowing Shiro to go in the first place with his illness had been a favor to Samuel Holt; even then Shiro nearly didn't make the cut, and his fiancé left him for favoring his dream over his health. Now, with a fake arm alongside the muscular, connective tissue, and spinal degeneration?

There was not even a remote chance in the coldest parts of the underworld that they would let him near a ship. Disabled Garrison personnel did desk jobs, and maybe traveled to schools for recruitment and did a commercial here and there. In Shiro’s case, they also dealt with daytime shows, documentary interviews, and countless cameras and reporters when they were well enough to go out in public without vomiting or falling on their face. They didn’t fly into space, and never would ever again, no matter how hard they wished otherwise. They also didn't encourage other disabled individuals to fly, either.

Keith knew that things would definitely change between him and everyone else because of all those terrible circumstances, and they seemingly did, and for the worse. Where before, they’d be taking lunch next to each other, talking about all sorts of things, and generally just having a great relationship, now Shiro generally didn’t even talk to Keith much anymore, much less talk to him alone; when he did speak to Keith, there seemed to be a wedge, invisible, heavy and unspoken, between them. Those grey eyes seemed to lack the bright, hopeful spark that Keith remembered so well from earlier times, replaced with a dim and distant ember. His smile didn’t have the same emotion. He rarely went out in public at night, and certainly didn’t go on trips with anyone, much less Keith.

Then again, Shiro _did_ have many more responsibilities to tend to, now that he was considered medically recovered (even if most of it seemed to be busywork to keep his mind off going back into space), and he was doing therapy both for his body and with that new prosthetic that replaced his right arm. Plus, it wasn’t like Keith deserved to have a monopoly on the guy - unlike with Adam, Keith and Shiro weren't dating, much less engaged. Still, it still hurt a little, when before they could be so easy and trusting with one another, without care of what was happening around them.

“…Keith?” Keith’s head jerked up as Shiro’s voice came to his ears. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, but…how about you? Have you had venison before?”

Keith blinked at the question, then frowned. Generally, he and his mother hunted whatever was in the area of their home. He’d gotten used to the taste of lizards, and coyote, and suckers. Before then, he'd been in homes that didn't spare much in terms of any food whatsoever. He shook his head.

“No, can’t say I have.”

“Oh.” Shiro’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Ha, figures,” another cadet huffed. “Keithy over here’s probably never even held a gun, much less shot one.”

“He probably couldn’t hold it, not with the way _he_ looks.” Another  - James, naturally - looked over at Shiro. “Hey, you think he’s eating enough? Your favorite student might not make the next quarterly weight class test if he doesn’t, you know. “

“Yes,” Shiro looked over towards the group. "I know."

“Then,” James perked up at this. “Can I be your favorite student? I eat enough—”

Keith had heard enough by then. Standing up and slamming his chair into the table, he grabbed his tray and stormed out. He could eat in an empty classroom if he had to. He therefore didn’t notice Shiro’s eyes softening at his departure, or the fact that he, too, stood up and left, much to the other cadets’ disappointment.

Later, when he went to check on Shiro, Keith asked what he was doing for the weekend. To Keith’s disappointment, Shiro hastily, almost brusquely, responded that he had things he needed to do, things that had come up. There was no explanation as to what. or where he was going. Instead, Shiro left without another word.

Keith was used to it by that point, but he still had to swallow the lump in his throat as he watched Shiro disappear. Maybe next time, he would always tell himself. Next time.

 

* * *

 

Other than having to go into town to get gas (always an ordeal and ritual since they went in the middle of the night, and more so because of the cop car flashing its lights behind them – thankfully they were pulling over the other car on the road at the time), the weekend passed without incident. On Monday morning, however, it was Krolia who was shouting about something on the porch.

“ _Quiznak_!” Keith was awoken by his mother’s stomping back into the shack. “Keith, you need get up and help me! That thing needs to come inside!”

“Huh…?” Keith moaned and rubbed his eyes. “What thing…?”

“ _That_ thing.”

With that, Krolia moved aside and pointed a clawed finger towards the door. When Keith saw what was beyond it, his heart stopped.

It was a dead deer, giant antlers and all. One of the points had blood on it, and it was clear from the puddle beneath it that it had been there for several hours at the most.

“What the—?!” If Keith wasn’t awake before, he was now. He jumped onto his feet and stumbled towards the door. “How did it—!? We don’t even _have_ deer in this area, mom!”

“I don’t…know…!” Krolia grunted as she grabbed the things hind legs. “But it’s got— _nn!_ —no contaminants, so we’re going to— _ha—_ make sure this stuff lasts!”

“What!?” Keith’s mouth dropped. “You mean…”

“Get on the computer when you’re at school.” Keith dumbfoundedly took the front legs, and both carried the deer in with ease. “Send me deer recipes on your phone if you have time! Ok?”

“But you’re going to be home with our computer–”

“–Cutting this deer up.” Krolia waved him off as she brought out her pale makeup beneath her shirt and popped it open. “Get ready, we’ll get you to school on time if you hurry now!”

Keith huffed and nodded, and as he turned to change clothes, he spotted the deer’s neck. It was snapped, and its veins were exposed along with its viscera, like something had torn its neck open.

_Just like the rabbit._

Keith felt himself pale as he shucked off his shirt. It had to be coincidence, somehow. Right?

 

* * *

 

That day, Shiro – in what was probably the first time since he got back from Kerberos, since before he _left_ – personally took the time to catch up with Keith alone.

“Hey.” His smile was quiet, subdued, but even with the changes, still lovely to look at. “How are you doing, Keith?”

Keith found himself stammering out an ‘ok’.

“That’s good.” Shiro seemed to brighten up a bit at his response. “Hey, I heard you’re on the shortlist for a future Titan mission if you graduate on time. I’m proud of you, you know that?”

“I guess.” Keith looked down, and he could feel the other slightly deflate. “Sorry, I…just got some stuff on my mind.”

“You mean the weight class test?” The captain sighed. “Listen, Keith, those cadets had no right to say that to you. And it doesn’t matter what they say – your tests have been showing that you’re within ran—”

“Uh, no, not that.” Keith bit his lip. “I mean, uh, yeah, I’m worried about my weight management stuff, but…um.”

There was no better way to put it.

“There was a dead deer at my house this morning.”

“…A dead deer.” Shiro repeated it slowly, as if trying to process. “In the desert.”

“Yeah.”

“…That’s definitely weird.” Shiro’s eyebrows knotted. “Maybe it was a stray from the north or something? Or maybe it fell off the back of a truck.”

“I wish,” Keith mumbled. “It was killed by an animal, whatever happened. Looks like I’ll know what venison tastes like tonight and tomorrow, and for the next week. Lucky me.”

Shiro started to chuckle, only to cough after several seconds and hold his side.

“Shiro—!?”

“Ha…ow.” Shiro waved Keith’s hands off. “It’s nothing, really, just…I was at a friend’s house this weekend, we did some drunken sparring, it got a bit out of hand. I’m just a little bruised is all.” 

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Shiro stood up and cleared his throat. “Well. Morning session’s about to start, so you should get to class. I’ll talk to you later, ok?”

“Sure.” That promise alone was enough to make Keith’s day. “See you around, Shiro.”

With that, he went to class and thought nothing of it, at least for the rest of the school day. It was only after getting into the car, and being about halfway home, that Keith suddenly realized something.

Alongside the degenerative disorder, Shiro had a genetic ADH deficiency that ran in his family. Either way, Shiro didn’t – _couldn’t_ – drink.

The shout he let out at this nearly caused Krolia to run off the road and into a cactus.

 

* * *

 

By the end of the week, Keith was sick of venison. If he never saw another deer again, it would be too soon. Then again, if he never saw another dead animal he’d be glad.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t destined to happen anytime soon. The night after the deer was finished off, a pile of wrens ended up on the porch. After that, it was a pair of kit foxes. Then, a box turtle. It was a pattern, like clockwork – once the first set of animal meat was finished or close to finished, another animal was dumped on their doorstep. All of them were killed in the same way – their neck exposed and snapped – and all of them were inevitably edible.

“It’s clear someone — or some _thing_ — is doing this deliberately,” Krolia grumbled after a month of nonstop dead deliveries, as she chopped off the head of yet another jackrabbit that was dropped off at their house. “We need to figure out who. We need to prepare in case they’re hostile and I’ll need to keep watch to ensure it’s not a threat. And if they know about my existence, it might endanger you as well. If that’s the case, you will have to be ready to fight for your life. Understand, Keith?”

“Mm,” Keith nodded as he finished off the turtle soup for breakfast. _Slurp_. It was pretty good — his mom’s cooking had gotten much better over the years, and especially in the past several weeks, as the animals being given to her allowed her to spend much more time honing her skills and trying out new recipes. “Mmmhmm.”

That day, Keith managed to catch up with Shiro once more. He looked a little tired, but otherwise, he looked fine and dandy, as usual. Keith also managed to get a look at his overall body as they talked. He was still thinner than before, but he’d thankfully gained some of the weight and muscle he’d lost back. He seemed sleeker, more sinuous, no doubt from the therapy toning him to accommodate his recovery and his new arm, not to mention his original genetic malady.

“Hey, Keith.” Keith’s attention went from Shiro’s body back to his face. His brows were furrowed in concern. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind. What’s up?”

“…Not much.” Keith puffed out his cheeks in exasperation. Ah, even after everything that had happened to him, Shiro was a great guy, being so willing talking to him like this. He could probably tell Shiro the problem he was having, right? “We keep getting those dead animals on our porch. We don't know what's causing it, and it's getting annoying.”

“’We’?” Shiro’s eyebrow raised. “Keith, I thought you lived alone.”

 _Quiznak—!_ Of course that slipped from his mouth. Because it was Shiro he was talking to. _Think of something to tell him!_

“Um,” Keith stammered. “I mean…no, I don’t. I just…said I do. I actually live with my mom.”

_…Great._

“Your mom.” Shiro’s line set into a concerned frown. “Oh, Keith, I didn’t know your mom was…what I mean is, you’ve only ever talked about your father.”

“It’s…it’s ok.” Keith swallowed the lump in his throat. Even though he didn’t imagine Shiro would rat on his mom for being an alien living on Earth, he couldn’t take any chances. He lowered his voice. “It’s…it’s complicated. And maybe kind of…illegal…you know what, I don’t want to talk about her here, ok? I don’t like talking about…it…”

“…I see.” After a moment, Shiro quietly nodded, eyes softening. “I understand, it’s personal and you don’t want it getting out. Not another word about it.”

Keith smiled; he was glad Shiro would keep what he knew of the secret, at least. He rubbed his hand on the back of his head.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Shiro brought his flesh hand onto Keith’s shoulder. “Hey, I was going to take an overnight at the Grand Canyon on my bike this weekend. Look at the North Rim, maybe check out the bison herd they have at that new preserve. If you want to come, I’d love for you to. We can catch up on everything that’s happened since I came home.”

Keith’s head perked up at this. It would be just like old times, when they’d go on Shiro’s bike and just drive where the wind took them, sometimes until the sun came up in the sky. Those had been among the happiest moments in Keith’s life.

“…I can’t.” He felt himself deflate with realization. “I have to prepare for that space medicine practicum coming up. There’s also the weight class test…”

“…Right. I keep forgetting. It’s the last one before you graduate and start mission training.” He could feel Shiro’s hand loosen on his shoulder. “Maybe another time, then?”

 _Maybe next time,_ Keith glumly thought. _This time, it’s_ my _fault. I can’t believe—_

As Shiro’s hand slid off Keith’s shoulder, Keith could feel one of his nails abruptly snag on his uniform.

“Oh, shoot—” Keith looked down at his side as Shiro struggled to unhook his hand from a loose thread. “Sorry! Just a second…”

Keith blinked as he watched. As far as he could remember, Shiro’s nails were generally short and well-maintained. This time, Shiro’s nails were much longer, even pointier than he recalled them ever being. Indeed, it looked like he hadn’t cut them in months.

“You need to cut your nails,” he slowly spoke. “I’m sure what’s-his-face down in cargo training has a pair—”

“Oh, yeah, McClain, right?” Shiro chuckled as he finally dislodged his finger nail, but Keith could feel a tenseness rumbling over him. “Sure, I can ask him. In fact, I think I should do that right now. Later!”

Keith’s eyes narrowed as Shiro quickly excused himself, walking briskly away. Something wasn’t right. Shiro wouldn’t just neglect his nails for so long. Just like he wouldn’t drink, he realized.

Just what was going _on_ with him?

 

* * *

 

Two nights later, during the ending hours of the weekend, Keith was just dozing off to sleep when he heard a loud BANG.

“KEITH!” he heard his mother scream as he sat up in bed. “ _KEITH!_ HURRY BEFORE—”

He was instantly out of bed, running to the door, only to find a growling Krolia running right back towards him, covered in sweat and teeth bared as she brandished her blade.

“Too slow!” she hissed. “It got away!”

“What?!”

“The beast,” Krolia huffed. “I _saw_ it. I saw it near the door! It was large, and had fangs, and fur. Vicious-looking, smelled of blood. But I managed to chase it off.”

“Woah…” Keith quickly looked over his mother. “Are you ok? No injuries?”

“No,” she shook her head. “It was circling our home, I saw it by our porch, I shouted, it saw me, and it ran off. I’m unhurt.”

“And it didn’t attack you?” Keith walked forward, looking around as he did. “Maybe it was a coyote...?”

There was no sign of the beast Krolia had mentioned. However, as he eyed their car, he spotted a large, unmoving silhouette almost flopped against it. He slowly moved away from his mother and towards the dark figure.

“Keith, wait, what are you—”

His eyes widened as his eyes adjusted and took in what it was he was looking at.

“Oh my god.”

The bison stared up at him with lifeless eyes, its neck and the ground below it littered with ribbons of blood red.

 

* * *

 

Keith got no sleep that night. Even with their combined strength, carrying a grown bison to the back of the house was more difficult than the usual animals. Not to mention the fact they had to cut it up outside and bring it all in before sunrise, to ensure there was no chance, remote as it was, that someone came on the dead animal at their place. Bison were a government-protected species, after all.

It was why they were allowed to prowl around places like the Grand Canyon.

Keith was silent during the practicum that day, doing everything almost robotically and barely paying attention to what he was actually doing. All the while, he kept thinking, hyper-focusing on the previous night. Things, in his mind, were starting to make terrible sense; it couldn’t be a coincidence. Shiro had said he was going to the Grand Canyon, where bison were, and then there was a bison in his yard. Before, Keith had mentioned he’d never tried deer before – and then, suddenly, there was a deer on his doorstep, giving him and his mom a week of venison.

Shiro was involved in it, somehow. Was he trying to help Keith? But if that was the case, why not just tell him? He had to know that Keith didn’t need handouts. He didn’t need help. Not even from Shiro, he told himself. He had to tell himself that.

And what about that beast his mother found? If Shiro was involved with the dead animals, then the beast had to be his. But why would Shiro use something his mother called _vicious-looking_ to kill the animals? Shiro was a gentle man, or at least the Shiro Keith knew was. Then again, that Shiro had been from before Kerberos, from before Shiro withdrew. The Shiro of now was hiding and lying about something.

Perhaps that was also part of how Shiro changed, subtle or otherwise. Perhaps almost dying made him meaner, somehow. Yet Shiro never seemed mean to Keith, or anyone else nowadays, simply more distant. Still, was it possible Shiro was now just that good at hiding that side of him? Just what was Shiro _doing_? And if Shiro _was_ responsible for the dead animals, had that kind of pet, why would he do something like that on the evening of such an important test? Was this all some kind of joke to him? Was he just using the weight test as an excuse to be a jerk to him about it?

“Hey.”

Keith nearly jumped at the sound of Shiro’s voice. It was the end of the day, and he was just about to go home. As it was, his head swerved around to look. Shiro looked paler than usual, and his eyes had dark circles under them.

He didn’t even look all that tired despite that, not in comparison to how Keith felt. On the contrary, he never looked better despite the changes. Keith’s irritation bubbled to the surface at the sight of just how easy Shiro made things look now. The golden boy, somehow almost always perfect at what he did. Including pretending things were all right.

“You ok?” Shiro’s smile lessened. “You seem jumpy.”

“…Didn’t sleep. Had too many things to take care of.” Keith crossed his arms. “How was your trip, huh? See lots of bison?”

There was a hesitant pause from Shiro, which only confirmed for Keith his worries that his instincts about Shiro’s involvement last night were right on target.

“A few, but…not a lot.” Shiro rolled his shoulders and crossed his arms. _Somehow_ he seemed unable to meet Keith’s eyes as he spoke. “You…you should have gotten some sleep before your practicum, at least.”

Keith slowly looked Shiro up and down. It was true, Shiro was definitely different from before, all the way. He was clearly being sneaky and secret and doing a terrible job of hiding the fact that Keith had him cornered. His eyes narrowed.

“Whatever, it went fine today. I don’t care if I pass it. You know,” Keith turned to walk off. His mouth started going before he could stop himself, though he was past a point to care about what he said at that moment. “I kind of wish I’d gone with you to the Grand Canyon now. Like you said, maybe next time. But…probably not.”

“Keith…?”

“I’m probably not going to Titan either, since I probably failed today. So you can forget about me passing the weight test too, because it won’t matter either. You can stop feeding me that stuff you keep dumping off at my house. I’m not a charity case, and it’s…it’s not like you really care about me anymore!”

“Keith!” Shiro’s tone became tinted with horror and realization. “I… _no_ , that’s not why…”

“Then _why_?”

Keith felt his face turn red as he turned back one more time. Shiro’s face was fallen, and his mouth was moving, as if trying to find words to say, but unable to enunciate them properly or out loud. It almost made Keith want to take back what he’d just said. It almost made him want to say he was sorry for hurting Shiro like that, after believing in him so much.

It didn’t matter anymore. Keith knew he was finished anyways. The golden boy, the survivor, his _hero_ , didn’t need to waste any more time on the likes of him once he flunked.

“Keith.” Shiro finally seemed to find words, and Keith finally ran out of what little patience and poise he could muster. “I’m sorry, but I’m–“

“Whatever, Shiro. I’ve gotta go.”

With that, Keith bolted, not even bothering to hear what else the other had to say. He heard Shiro’s footsteps behind him, and he walked faster, nearly running. He jumped into the car the moment it drove around to pick him up; he didn’t bother looking back to see if Shiro was in the rear view mirror.

 

* * *

 

Though Krolia tried to prod answers from Keith as to why he was upset, Keith refused to answer, especially not after being offered a pair of bison burgers. Instead, he simply stormed out of the shack, leaving it behind for the open desert beyond. He didn’t stop until the shack was little more than a speck, if that, and when he did stop, he sat on a rock and looked up to the skies.

He needed time to think and clear his head. He had to figure out what he was going to do once he was drummed out of the Garrison. Keith was quite certain he would be, because there was no way he didn’t fail the space medicine practicum. Not only that, but Iverson had made it pretty clear that failing even one of the advanced-level practicums required for astronaut training would ensure he would never get on a mission roll, much less graduate in general.

There was also whatever Shiro was trying to tell him. Maybe it was an excuse. Maybe it was a lie. Maybe it would have been the truth about why Shiro was acting the way he had, and where those animals came from. Now he’d probably never know. There’d likely be no more extra food after the bison, and his mother would have to go hunting full-time again. Meanwhile, Keith would just have to find a job to pay for gas and clothes.

_So much for Titan…_

The air seemed to rumble around him. Maybe Up-N-Down would take him back if he went on his knees and groveled. Otherwise he’d probably have to go further out and away towards the big cities. He’d have to leave his mother alone. He’d have to be alone again, just like after his dad died. Just like the years he spent in the foster system, only now he’d have no way to escape.

_So much for—_

The rumble in the air became a feral growl grounded behind him, and Keith’s hair stood on end at the sound. He quickly turned to see himself staring down a large, thin cougar. It let out a hiss, then a desperate snarl as it began to circle, blood glistening on its neck. A sign of a prior ambush that had injured it. A sign it had nevertheless managed to outrun a hunter, or pursuing animals. Now, as the only human in the area, he was now seen as a threat by the frightened mountain lion.

 _Oh,_ quiznak _. So much for_ anything _right now!_

Keith froze, doing his best to stare down the cougar, but the animal seemed to be having none of his false bravado. With one more snarl, it leaped, Keith went to grab a rock, and—

He was nearly knocked back by a large black blur smashing headlong into the cougar. With a cry he fell to the ground, knocking his head but good. The fuzzy purples of the desert night swam in front of him, and in front of that was a blur of black and grey accompanied by growls and snarls and howls and shrieks. It was mere moments that passed, before there was a final loud _snap_ that echoed through the air, and one of the bodies fell down dead.

The shadow of the black blur then loomed as Keith’s eyes finally focused.

“Nnngh…”

He found himself staring at his unexpected savior, its grey eyes that held a bright, unnatural glow within them. Its breath reeked of death and guts, and Keith suddenly found himself reminded of his mother’s description of the beast she’d chased off. Big, yes. Vicious-looking, certainly, especially with blood on its muzzle. Furry? Its fur was dark, but seemed to have streaks of purple around its eyes, its face, and its back that glowed in the dark with its eyes. Fangs? The mouth was practically made of fangs upon reddened fangs. It was just as his mother described, except far more scary up close. And it was coming even closer, right up to his face, panting hard and heavily.

Keith had no way to fight back—when it started whimpering and licking his face like a puppy.

That was the _last_ thing he expected to happen with this encounter.

“Blugh! Ugh!” The beast’s breath was disgusting, like a breath mint doused in sewage. “Ew, _gross_ , get off me!”

To Keith surprise, the beast obeyed, staggering backwards on its legs as he glared at it. Its…three legs, as its front right leg seemed to be missing almost entirely. It also seemed to have a newly-formed, foot-long gash on its side, no doubt from the fight seconds before. It let out a whine at it looked at Keith’s face, and it’s glowing eyes almost looked sad at the other’s command. It seemed to understand his anger and confusion towards it, somehow, in a way Keith couldn’t recall other animals doing.

Then again, most other animals didn't have glow-in-the-dark fur while also lacking a right foreleg. Something was up, and as his mind milled on what was before him, Keith hit up on a possibility.

“…Hey.” Keith’s eyes darted back and forth. There was no one — and nothing — else in the vicinity that he could see, but this animal apparently understood humans. It had to have an owner. It had to be one person in particular. “You’re Shiro’s pet, aren’t you? Where is he?”

The thing let out a barking warble - which seemed to be an affirmative to the first question - and turned to no doubt run back to Shiro. After several steps, however, it collapsed, letting out utterly pathetic whines as blood began to drip from the injury. The injury must have been worse than it seemed, and the bleeding didn’t look like it was going to stop anytime soon.

 _Great,_ Keith thought. _Now Shiro’s weird and scary pet is injured because of me._

And he was the only one who could help at that moment. No, he thought as he stared at the shivering giant. He _had_ to help, even as he tried to convince himself that he absolutely, totally, one-hundred-percent hated Shiro now. With a grunt, he slowly picked up the pet and stumbled back towards the shack.

Sweet Christmas, the beast was big - and  _heavy_.

“Just how much bison did Shiro feed _you_?” Keith grumbled as he slowly — _slowly_ — made his way back to the house. “Ugh, I’m _seriously_ going to give him a piece of my mind when I see him next!”

 

* * *

 

Krolia’s hostile reaction to Keith bringing in the pet was not entirely unexpected, though not for the reasons Keith thought.

“Did it bite you? Do you have any injuries?” She almost sounded panicked as Keith wobbled under the weight of placing the monster on the floor. On top of being heavy, it was almost as long as the bison had been. His mother, meanwhile, was going through her dresser drawers, taking out other, alien items Keith didn’t even know the names of, much less their functions. At least one of them looked like a scanner of some kind, with several beeping lights scattered all over the grid. “Oh god, Keith, all that monster’s _blood_ on you, _please_ tell me you don’t have any open cuts on you from the past week?!”

“Uh, no?” Keith had the feeling he wasn’t going to like the answer as to why his mother was suddenly so worried. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Good. Get that thing outside and destroy it.” Keith’s eyes widened at the bluntness of Krolia’s words as she turned to face him, her eyes wide as she grew her luxite weapon out. “Take my Blade and plunge it into its heart, and then clean yourself off before it’s too late!”

“Um…” Keith looked down at the…wolf? Dog? Coyote? It seemed to be a mixture of all three, with other, less normal elements mixed in, like a pangolin-esque snout. Pang..olf..oyot..og? _Wow_ he was bad at this. “But why? It’s Shiro’s, and I’m not going to kill his pet. I mean, I’m pretty sure it is his—”

“It’s a _menace_ ,” Krolia growled, even as the pan…olf…canine seemed to draw itself further inward and around Keith’s legs. “I should have known the whole time what we were dealing with. It’s a _mandapoxu_ , Keith. A Galra-made monster that spreads a pestilence that corrupts quintessence and turns its victims into mindless monsters!”

Keith’s head popped up. _Galra_. Galra, like his mother’s native race. They could be vicious and cruel, especially if they were insanely loyal to the Empire. But they were nowhere near the solar system at present, according to her. They hadn’t encroached for years, having not found what they were looking for.

“But…mom, it saved my life from a cougar. And it’s…it must have been trying to get the cougar for us to eat. I’m sure of it.” Keith looked down at it. Now he could just barely see the almost hot-pink streaks that reflected in the lights of the shack along with the black fur. Other than that change, there was only a large splotch of white fur near its eyes that definitely had not been visible before in the dark. “How did Shiro even find you…?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Krolia flipped the handle of her blade towards Keith. “Kill it before it infects you.”

“But…” Keith slowly bent to pat the thing’s head. It looked back up at him with the biggest, most pleading puppy eyes that its grey eyes could muster as he did so. “It’s harmless. Look, it’s not attacking us. It’s not even trying to hurt me!”

“Even if it’s harmless _now_ ,” Krolia’s voice became steely as she looked over to find him uninjured by his actions, even as her eyes betrayed her emotions, “you _know_ what will happen, Keith. In the morning, it will change back. And if it should happen to be a spy looking to help enslave Earth for the Empire, to perhaps find something it shouldn’t obtain, what will you do then when it tries to infect you for that cause? What about when it kidnaps you, and drags you off Earth and out of the solar system for who-knows-what terrible end at the hands of the military? The _Druids_?”

“I…”

Keith faltered. It was true, the Galra could come to Earth, and if that happened, Earth was primitive and unprepared in comparison. And if there was a spy looking to sabotage the Galaxy Garrison, they could. Worse, if they knew of his mother’s presence – she being a rebel whose true mission was so special she couldn’t even tell her own son without killing him to preserve its secrecy – there would be no telling what the Empire would do beyond simple enslavement. How could Keith live with himself if—

Then the canine let out another pained yelp, and Keith sighed.

“…I’ll deal with it if it comes to that.”

Krolia’s eyes narrowed, then she slammed her blade down onto the table, causing one of the legs to splinter.

“If it harms you in the morning…if it touches a hair on your head, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Her fists clenched and unclenched, further betraying her fear to her son. “I will save you, but…but you will have to skin the next ten animals I hunt!”

With that, she walked out the door, in the direction of the cougar, leaving Keith and the canine alone. Grunting, Keith went to the bathroom cabinet to grab some first aid supplies. Once he set them down on his couch, he grabbed his phone and dialed Shiro’s number.

It went to voicemail. Twice.

“…Maybe he’s asleep.” Keith turned to see the creature looking at him. He exasperatedly rubbed his temples. “Well, it _is_ getting late, so I guess his phone’s on silent or something. And I can’t bring you to a vet, so you’re going to have to deal with me. Ok, hold still while I…”

He gently rolled the beast over, exposing the scratches and gouges the cougar inflicted on him. Slowly, carefully, Keith began to clean the wounds, which caused the creature to yelp and curl into itself, its limbs flailing defensively but not aggressively.

“Hey, ok, come on, don’t be scared, it’s not going to hurt for long…I’m almost done…” The thing calmed down as Keith talked to it. He finished cleaning and bandaging it up, before wiping the beast’s bloodied mouth with the remaining water and gauze. “There. You’re good as new, kind of.”

The long, bushy tail slapped the ground hard as the beast looked up at Keith, before letting out something like a bark. It seemed like it could have been a 'thank you'.

“Geez, you could just totally rip my throat out right now and I’d have no way to defend myself.” A whimper at that; Keith smirked and pat the creature’s back. “You really don’t want to hurt me, do you? You’re really just a weird…giant space puppy dog. Thing. Man, how did Shiro get a hold of you without _anyone_ finding out about you?”

The canine’s response was to just poke its giant nose into Keith’s chest, causing him to stagger a little. Oh god, did it want to play with him? Was it hungry or something? It pushed again, and Keith realized that it was trying to prod him towards the couch, where his bed was opened up and all set up for the night. It seemed to want him to get sleep, somehow, and Keith had to admit, over twenty-three or so hours without sleep was starting to catch up to him.

“Fine, fine.” He tossed off his shirt and pants, putting on a pair of bed shorts and a night shirt. He flopped down on the bed and sighed as he rolled onto the mattress. “Just…don’t sleep on the bed with me.”

The canine responded by hopping onto the bed, curling up on the other side.

“Ugh, seriously? I said _not_ to!...” Keith glared at the thing as it looked innocently back at him and rolled his eyes. “…Well, if you don’t kill me, my mom will. And then Shiro better hope he has a good explanation for why he’s training a giant evil alien dog to offer me food all the time. Goodnight.”

With that, he turned over to face away from the creature. Nevertheless, even as he drifted off, he could feel a warm, heavy body sliding up against his back, and the stink of bad breath drifting from his neck. Somehow, deep down, it didn’t feel so bad to snuggle with the creature. It almost felt familiar.

 

* * *

 

He had a very weird dream that night about the alien canine monster. He dreamed that, as the sun rose, the canine had jerked awake, letting out a pained cry that woke Keith as well. Then, to Keith’s horror, he watched as the alien beast seemed to shrink and contort in horrifying slow-motion, its fur contracting into its skin and limbs and muscles snapping and shifting from within, until a shivering, naked, one-armed human was kneeling in the bed, his hand behind the back of his head, staring at Keith with wide, guilty, and scared eyes. Meanwhile, his mother, called in by the screams, held her knife to his neck, her face a mask of angry determination.

Oh, wait, it wasn’t a dream at all. But given who the human turned out to be, Keith _wanted_ it to be a dream.

“Shiro… _oh my god_.” Everything made sense, but at the same time _one hundred percent didn’t_. “Mom, please! Don’t hurt him!”

“Keith. He’s a _mandapoxu_.” Krolia’s blade didn’t move. “He’s dangerous no matter who or what he is. He could have hurt you! He still _can_!”

“…No.” Shiro’s eyes closed with a resigned sigh. “I would never hurt him. But, if you really think I’m dangerous—”

“Shiro, don’t even say it.” Shiro could be irrationally selfless at times, he knew that, but Keith wasn’t about to let the guy off himself on the slight off-chance he was bad. Which would be stupid to think because…Shiro wasn’t bad. At least Keith was pretty sure he wasn’t at the moment. Who knew at that point? “Mom, if you don’t let him go right now, I’ll…I’ll…!”

Before his mother could react, Keith was at the kitchen counter, grabbing the head of the cougar from last night.

“Keith, _really_?” Krolia, on her end, looked utterly flabbergasted. “Now you’re being ridiculous.”

“Oh yeah? Well, it may be ridiculous, but I’ll…I’ll throw it at your face,” Keith went to hold the head one-handed. “If you don’t let him go right now!”

The three looked at one another as tense moments passed.

“Mom…he brought us food.” Finally, Keith lowered his arm. “He ran away from you and he…he didn’t hurt you or me at all this whole time. He’s not a threat. He’s not going to be a threat. _Please_. Don’t hurt him.”

Krolia stared at her son, her face betraying nothing but rage. After several more eternal moments, Krolia slowly released Shiro and took the knife from his throat – only to grab his chin and yank him upwards towards her darkened face.

“Listen well, _mandapoxu_ ,” she growled. “I only choose now to let you live because of my son’s feelings for you. Ill-advised as I feel those emotions to be, I will respect his belief that you are not an enemy to us. _However_ , if I sense the _slightest_ indication you plan to hurt my son in any way, I swear on my life as a Blade of Marmora you will not live to turn into that beast ever again.”

With that, she let him go, bringing her two forefingers to her narrowed eyes, and then towards his. Keith watched as she stormed out; moments later, the sound of frustrated corpse hacking echoed through the air.

“…Your mom…” Sweat had pooled on Shiro’s brow through the entire ordeal. “…She’s a Galra, isn’t she? A...literal illegal alien."

"Haha, you're funny."

"I try." The irritated eyeroll from Keith caused Shiro to sigh. "So that’s why you kept her secret.”

“Yeah, obviously, and you’re a space werewolf-monster-thing that apparently can infect everyone with your cooties.” Keith crossed his arms, looking away. Even realizing he had his reasons, it still stung that Shiro had lied. “Lemme guess, the _ice crystals_ on Kerberos did this to you?”

“…No. Obviously not.” Shiro closed his eyes. “That was just the story the Garrison chose to use to protect the public for the moment. They know the alie—Galra are out there now, hovering around the Kuiper Belt. So far, they haven’t come much further than Kerberos, and not since our expedition, but…the higher-ups know they need to prepare something for when they push towards us.”

Not _if_ , Keith felt his blood freeze as the words sunk in. _When_. The Galra _were_ coming to their solar system, and eventually to Earth. His mother would need to hear this, but another loud hacking sound from outside stopped him from just running right outside and telling her.

“The mission to Titan you’re shortlisted for…it’s terraforming prep and surveying as part of that preparation.” Shiro smiled wryly. “The Garrison wants to put a full base there as a vanguard, but they can’t just say outright that’s what it’s for. I wanted to tell you, once you were on the mission. I’m still hoping you will be on it, you know.”

“Hmph.” Keith clenched his teeth. “…Your arm, then? How’d that happen on the mission?”

“…Beast ripped it right off my socket.” Shiro’s hand went to his currently bare right side. “Whatever it was your mom called me? That was what attacked me from that spaceship that attacked us. That’s how I got infected.”

“What kind of spaceship was it?”

“Big. Scary. Purple. Had lasers.” Shiro shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you too much more about it or what else might have been on it aside from a dozen or so guys that also came off of it. I was too busy trying to fend off my attacker and not die of decompression. It – they – didn’t survive the meteors, anyways.”

Keith looked up at this, eyebrows raised.

“There really _was_ a meteor shower during the mission?”

“Yeah. That part was always true.” Shiro didn’t look up at Keith. “I managed to keep the monster from also attacking the Holts, and the other aliens I remember seeing seemed to be ready to trash our lander, but…as the thing was taking my arm off, the meteors came, started raining down, and…”

He trailed off, closing his eyes. Keith, too, was silent. No doubt, he’d nearly died. He could only imagine the agony he went through during those moments of nearly dying, only to then learn worse was to come.  

“I was out of it most of the time on the voyage back. Don’t remember much of it, just that I was in darkness. I didn’t even know about the changes…not until we got close enough to actually be affected by a normal solar cycle.” Shiro took in a deep, shaky breath, almost hugging himself with the hand. “Commander Holt and Matt know, obviously. My first transformation was in front of them, while I was being held in the lander. I remember, it was…bad.”

Keith was well aware from his own exercises in the simulator that the Kerberos lander vessel was quite snug for three grown men; the beast Shiro turned into was bigger than that. The idea of Shiro transforming, only to grow so big that he essentially got stuck like a plug inside the lander, might have been borderline comedic in any other situation. On the other hand, experiencing the transformation going backwards in an open area had been terrifying. Experiencing the painful, scream-filled transformation into the monster inside a pitch-black tin can, and then seeing those glowing eyes and purple marks appear out of nowhere, had to be infinitely worse. It was either a miracle, or a testament to the Holts’ willpower and determination to preserve their pilot, that Shiro wasn’t promptly airlocked right out of the ship.

“Commander Holt managed to protect me and my changes from being exposed to the higher-ups when we got back, but…I still have to keep it a secret. There's a lot we still don't know about my body now, and...I don’t know what will happen if it gets out that I’m a…space werewolf-monster-thing.”

It stung to hear Shiro call himself that, even though Keith had called him the same thing not two minutes ago. Keith closed his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to…” Shiro bit his lip. “When I was well enough to be on my own, the first time I transformed out away from the Garrison, I could feel my instincts drawn towards you. I remembered how you looked when I came back, and how I was worried about you, and I just…let my instincts do what they would. I didn’t mean to make you think I was pitying you. But I also know you struggle with getting food while living out here.”

Keith opened his mouth, but Shiro held his hand up.

"I don't mean it that way. The off-campus stipend the Garrison gives is always deliberately small no matter who you are. It's as cost-saving measure designed to encourage people coming in from out-of-town to stay full-time at the Garrison dorms for room and board. Given how expensive gas, clothing and board are around these parts, most people barely have enough for food after, so they eventually just give up and move onto the base after awhile." Shiro's eyes softened. "That's what they want you to do, and you'll probably have to move into the officer dorms anyways if you're picked for Titan. But I also know you value your independence. How being self-sufficient is important for you."

“…So you killed all those things, every time we were about to run out of food…” He felt water prick the corner of his eyes. “What about that deer? That was you too, you brought it all that way. Didn't you? You didn’t get hurt because you were drunk. You _can’t_ drink.”

“Antler gored me. I got better.” _Oh._ The blood on the antler. Then Shiro had gotten hurt because of this, because of _him_ , more than once. “But…when you said you’d never had venison, and the cadets had been talking about you like that. Maybe it’s because of what I am now, but somehow, I couldn’t handle the thought of you being taunted like that.”

“You were worried for me.”

“Of course I was.”

“For my weight class test. You…You didn’t have to…!”

“No. That doesn’t matter to me.” Shiro’s voice softened. “Keith…I _care_ about you. I wanted to tell you about this the moment I realized what I’d become, I really did. I just didn’t know how you would take all of this. And more than that I didn’t want you to get hurt. Or…to think I wanted you to get hurt.”

Keith opened his glistening eyes, seeing that Shiro was slowly standing up. He felt his cheeks redden, as of course Shiro was completely nude. Even though he had no right arm, and scars from the surgeries and whatever exactly had happened to him on Kerberos, he was still – to Keith – beautiful.

“Still, I wanted to help, and I honestly thought I was helping you.” Shiro shook his head, and Keith could feel his heart crack in his chest. “But I don’t have to do it anymore, Keith. Not if you or your mother might be endangered because of my actions. Whatever you decide, I promised I wouldn’t hurt you, and I mean it.”

_No._

Shiro deserved better, especially after keeping him and his mother from starving. Werewolf-thing or no. He’d been a jerk to Shiro without even realizing why he had been acting the way he had. Even if he was upset with Shiro for hiding something so big, he couldn’t deny that Shiro’s actions had been helpful. In truth, Keith couldn’t find himself getting angrier at the revelations. Instead, he felt his anger dissipate.

Then Shiro slid off the bed and stood up.

“…Shiro?”

“I should go.”

Shiro was starting to make towards the door.

“It’s an hour and a half walk to the Garrison.” A deep breath came from Shiro’s direction. “It’s…It’s officer review this afternoon, and I still have a lot to do before then. I won’t keep you or your mother—”

“Shiro, wait.”

Shiro stopped.

“You…” Keith knew he had clothing that would fit him – he still had some of his father’s old vests and uniforms somewhere, he was quite certain – but something told him his mother wouldn’t approve of giving _those_ away to Shiro. He swallowed, wiping his eyes with his forearm. There had to be an alternative. “Can you…change during the day?”

Shiro, head whipped around, eyes wide.

“ _What_?”

 _“Can_ you?” Keith motioned towards him. “You can’t just go parading around naked on the desert roads, you know. Being a big dog thing would be a lot less noticeable than being a naked human.”

Shiro’s pale face turned tomato red at that.

“I…Of course I can, if I concentrate, but—”

“Then do it,” Keith nodded. “For me, until you can change into your own clothes. Besides, you owe me for not telling me about this.”

“Are you sure?” Shiro’s tone was uncertain at the proposition. “My changing isn’t…pleasant at all. Ever. Especially not during the day. I don’t want to frighten you again, or worry your mom.”

“You won’t do that.” Keith nodded. “I know what to expect now and I won’t let you get hurt. I promise I know what I’m doing.”

Shiro stared at Keith, before sighing.

“All right. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s the least I can do.”

Shiro turned, not noticing the wicked smile on Keith’s lips as he braced himself.

 

* * *

 

Krolia was just finishing carving the cougar corpse when she heard a cry, followed by the tell-tale snap of a transforming body, from inside the shack. She was instantly up and running to the door, expecting her son beneath the heel of the _mandapoxu_. She had a thousand worst-case scenarios running through her mind as she flung the door open.

Keith on the cleaned-up couch, contentedly petting and snuggling with the giant furry alien thing that had just jumped up on him, was not one of them. She let out a groan and slapped her head.

“Keith Yorak—”

“Mom.” Keith leaned back onto the couch. The beast, in turn, leaned onto Keith’s chest and lay down, his head on Keith’s shoulder. “You don’t have to worry. I think Shiro and I are patching up our differences.”

“You’re _petting_ him. You’re actually petting the _mandapoxu_ on my couch. ” Krolia’s voice was flat. “You really _are_ hopeless when it comes to him, aren’t you?”

“I guess so. Sorry, mom.” Keith scratched behind the beast’s ears, resulting in a strangely content alien chirp coming from its throat. “We’ll have to get his clothes and his prosthetic arm from his place before we go in, but we have a few hours to relax before anything’s scheduled. We’ll be ready to go by then, I promise.”

Krolia sucked in a breath through her teeth. Really, it was too early for this nonsense. She’d have to have a nice long talk with the two of them later, after she was done with the cougar, and on the way to the Garrison. She turned back around and walked right back out of the house, mumbling the whole time.

Keith smiled, and began to close his eyes, feeling the body above him also relaxing. Shiro’s tail curled up around Keith’s arm, and his breathing became deeper and more rhythmic. Seeing Shiro like this…maybe his mother was right, and he was being too accepting of the whole situation. But right now, he didn’t care. Maybe he never would. He knew Shiro would never hurt him. So, with him, a quick morning nap did seem like a good idea.

First.

“Hey, Shiro…you think we could hunt bassarisk next? I’ve never had that before…”

He got a half-tired snort in response, and soon enough, both he and Shiro were asleep, their snores filling the air.

 

**E N D**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [That Is Why It Is Called The Present (Gifts Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19194841) by [Lunarium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium)




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